Nomination Form CARTER FAMILY THEMATIC NOMINATION, Scott County, Virginia Continuation Sheet {Fol Item Number 6 , 7 Page 1, 1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
VLR Listed: 4/16/1985 NPS Form tO.WO NRHP Listed: 6/20/1985 13821 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service For NPS use only National Register of Historic Places received !~~e?nt~ry-~~~~i~~$!~~Form date entered See instructions in How 10 Complete National Register Forms Type all entries-complete applicable sections 8, Bame (Thematic ~ornination) historic CARTER FAMILY THBMATIC YOMINATION (DHL File 84-20) . - - - and ox common N/A 2. Rscafiioa street & number Various ( see individual iriventory forms) !&*not for publication -- - - >- ciEy,town Maces Spring x vicinity of --- .- - - A Virginiq code 5 1 countv Scott code 169 Category Ownership Status Present Use ,-district -public 2 occupied -agriculture -x __ -building(s) A private LL unoccupied - - structure -both workin progress - ,L private residence - Public Acquisition dccessible - -X religious - -in process -5 yes: restricted -- -scientific - transportation name Multiple &nership (see individusl inventory Egrms) - ,,. - - -- -- -. -- - street & number ' N/A -- - -- . -- .- --- * - ci!y, town W /A. ~/.plvicinityof stare N/A , P*I a-1 5, Location off Resal Desceil~tion courthouse. registry of deeds, etc. Scott County Courtl~ouse --- -- ------- -- . - city. town Gate City state VirRinia 6. Re~resemta-tiom Existime SUBY~VS~S~~hntinuation Sheet $:L) Virginia ~ivision 3 f His t0riC Landn3r;ifias this property been determined eligible? -yes no .. - .. .- +"? -- -- - - date 1975, 1985 - . federal _ state -county .. local -- - .- . deposirory Virginia Division of Historic Landmarks f s -- . - -- .- - o -r -urve y r.ec. -or -d s - -- ..- -- - -- . -- -- -- .. - --- Virginia city, town 221 Governor Street, Richmor~d state 23219 - --+--- -. - .-- - -- .. - - . - -----..+- . -- . NPS Form 10,900,a 0MB No. 1024-0018 (3·82) Exp. 10-31-84 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form CARTER FAMILY THEMATIC NOMINATION, Scott County, Virginia Continuation sheet {fol Item number 6 , 7 Page 1, 1 6. REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS A. P. Carter Homeplace (National Register, 7/30/1976) 1975-6 State Survey Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, 221 Governor Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 7. DESCRIPTION -- Architectural Analysis professional career as the Carter Family are all located in this small geographic region. The nomination includes five of the buildings initially identified in the survey and research. The first, and oldest, is the A. P. Carter Homeplace, pre viously listed individually on the National Register. This small, one~story half-dovetailed log cabin contains a single room on the main floor with a loft above. It was later enlarged by a frame shed kitchen addition along the back. This was the birthplace of A. P. Carter in 1891, and it has remained in the Carter family through the present day. The form is very typical of the mid- to late 19th-century domestic property types in the area, and illustrates the oldest surviving house types in Scott County. The other two houses, th~ A. P. and Sara Carter House and the Maybelle and Ezra Carter House, served as the residences of A. P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter during their recording careers as the Carter Family between 1927 and 1943. Both are typical in form, scale, materials, and plan for domestic architecture of the period. In both instances the Carters purchased an older house, originally four or five rooms, and remodeled it in the 1920s or 1930s to create a domestic form popular for that period. Both were :one-story frame dwellings enlarged by an additional half-story for more bedroo~ space. These renovations responded to the bungalow style which became increasingly popular during these years. The survey revealed that many of the older, Rrobably 1880-1920 houses in the region were similarly remodeled during these yeqrs in the bungalow style. It is signif icant that these present forms also reflect the changes made by the Carters them selves when they lived at these houses, and the houses have not been significantly altered since. The remaining two properties are both public buildings. The oldest is the Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church, attedded by the Carter Family members. The '.church follows the traditional church pl~n, a one-story, rectangular frame struc ture with. gable roof and simple wooden s~eeple. Like many rural churches of (See Contin~ation Sheet #2) 7. Description Col)dition Check one Check one _..x._ excellent __ deteriorated -X- unaltered --~- original site N / A _·· 'QOOd __ ruins __ altered __ moved date-·------·-----·----·--·-·--·····--·----- ~fair "'1 __ unexposed Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance SUMMARY DESCRIPTION This thematic nomination focuses on buildings associated with the lives of A. P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter, important collectors, performers, and composers of mountain music and major figures in the hillbilly music revival of the 20th century. The primary unifying theme is historical in nature, based on buildings directly associated with these original Carter Family members. The selected prop erties are the A. P. Carter Homeplace, the A. P. and Sara Carter House, the Maybelle and Ezra Carter House, the A. P. Carter Store, and the Mt. Vernon Methodist Church. All five of the nominated properties are located in the Maces Spring community of Scott County, Virginia, and date to the late 19th or early 20th century. Besides their primary historical significance, the five nominated buildings also illustrate a second theme--that of typical rural vernacular archi tecture in a southwest Virginia mountain community. These buildings all serve ~as representative examples of Scott County's vernacular architecture from 1890 to 1945. ARCHITECTURAL ANALYSIS This nomination evolved as an effort to identify and evaluate properties associated with the original Carter Family. The inclusion of the A. P. Carter Homeplace in the National Register of Historic Places on July 30, 1976 has already· recognized the important contributions of the Carter Family. However, substantial local and family interest in registering the A. P. Carter Store led to the suggestion of a thematic nomination which would .include all properties associated with the Carter Family during their active professional careers. Research and survey activity by the tiivision of Historic Landmarks in January and February of 1985 helped identify the potential pool of resources from which the nominated thematic resources were drawn. Carter family members assisted in the documentation and identification of these properties. The survey included one store, one school, one church, and several houses. The survey was restricted to the Maces Spring area of Scott County where the Carter Family lived during the most productive period of their recording life, between 1927 and 1943. Maces ·spring.is a small community strung along state Route 614 in a narrow mountain valley, named Poor Valley, between Clinch Mountain to the north and the Pine Ridge to the south. Four of the resources are located directly on a 7/10 mile stretch along route 614 in Poor Valley. The remaining building is situated in Little Valley, across Pine Ridge from Poor Valley and approximately 5/10 miles from the cluster of the other four resources. A. P. spent his entire lifetime in this community. Sara and Maybelle both moved to Maces Spring·upon their marriages, Sara in 1915 and Maybelle in 1926. Sara later relocated in California in 1943. and Maybelle moved to Nashville in the late 1940s, but the properties most specifically identified with their (See Continuation Sheet #1) NPS Form 10-900-a 0MB No. 1024-0018 (3·82) Exp. 10-31-84 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form CARTER FAMILY THEMATIC NOMINATION, Scott County, Virginia Continuation sheet #2 Item number 7 Page 2 7. DESCRIPTION -- Architectural Analysis this period, the exterior and interior were quite plain. Although the original church furniture has been removed, there have been few alterations to the interior of the building. Behind the church is the cemetery containing the graves of A. P. and Sara Carter. The A. P. Carter store, the most recent of the nominated re sources, was built in 1945 by A. P. Carter and exhibits a commercial form partic ular to this immediate region. Instead of the familiar rectangular form with gable end entrance, the A. P. Carter's store has been turned so that the longer side and roofline run parallel to the road. Yet the building has not completely abandoned the use of a front gable; the central entrance is instead flanked by a cross gable to each side, suggesting its commercial use. In its one-story elevation and frame construction, the A. P. Carter Store meshes well in scale, materials, and form with the older cultural resources in Maces Spring. Criteria Band C proved most useful in evaluating the significance of the nominated resources. Since the primary theme was historical, criterion B- relating to "properities associated with the lives of persons significant in our past"--became the first, and major, criterion for this nomination. To be considered, the properties first had to have a direct relation with one of the original Carter Family members, either A. P., Sara, or Maybelle Carter. Ideally, the buildings should be associated with their adult, or productive, lives. The four previously unregistered resources included in the nomination do actually reflect the lives of these individuals while they were active in their music careers. The only previously registered building, the A. P. Carter Homeplace, was the only exception, and justification had already been made for its inclu sion based on other qualifications under criteria Band C. The length of association of these properties to the Carter Family was also an essential consideration under Criterion B. All of the nominated resources had been associated with the original Carter Family and their heirs throughout much of the 20th century. The three dwellings have remained in the Carter family since their initial acquisition.